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M*A*S*H
::List of crossover stories. M*A*S*H is an American television series that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS. It premiered on 17 September 1972, and ended 28 February 1983, with the finale becoming the most-watched television episode in U.S. television history. M*A*S*H follows the lives of the staff of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (or "MASH") in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (one of the regional conflicts of the Cold War). The series is usually categorized as a situation comedy; however, it is sometimes instead called a "dark comedy" or a "dramedy" because it often presented dramatic subject material. M*A*S*H was an ensemble show revolving around key personnel—surgeons, nurses, orderlies, and support staff—at the 4077th, plus a varying guest cast of patients each week. Many of the regular characters were draftees; and there was often dramatic tension between them and characters who were "regular Army". Considerable research was done by the producers to develop story lines rooted in the Korean war. Indeed, many of the stories are based on real-life tales told by actual MASH surgeons who were interviewed by the production team. Nevertheless, the series is as much an allegory about the Vietnam War (still in progress when the series began) as it is about the Korean Conflict. The cast of M*A*S*H changed over the years. Increasingly, the hero of the show became Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (played by Alan Alda), one of the doctors at the 4077th, an unwilling draftee but a brilliant surgeon. At his side was one of his fellow doctors and close friend, either "Trapper John" MacIntyre (Wayne Rogers) in the first three seasons, or B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) thereafter. In conflict with the pair of pranksters was the Chief Nurse, Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit), a member of the regular Army nursing corps, supported in the first five seasons by another member of the surgical staff, the gung-ho Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville). There was a shift in relationships among the characters when the commanding officer of the 4077th for the first three season, the easy-going Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), was replaced by an elderly regular army officer, Col. Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan). Another shift in character dynamics came when Burns was replaced by Major Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers)—another draftee doctor, as unwilling to be in Korea as any of the other surgeons, but an upper class snob who had little common ground with his peers in the MASH unit. Completing the cast of eccentrics were the meek but efficient company clerk, Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff); the chaplain, Father Mulcahy (William Christopher); and an orderly, Max Klinger (Jamie Farr), who tries a transvestite ploy in the hope of getting a medical discharge from the army. As the series progressed, it shifted significantly from being primarily a comedy to becoming far more focused on drama. Changes behind the scenes were the cause, rather than the changes in cast. Executive Producer Gene Reynolds left at the end of the fifth season in 1977. This, coupled with the departure the previous season of the head writer, Larry Gelbart, stripped the show of its comedic foundation. Likewise, with the departure of Larry Linville after five seasons, the series lost its "straight man" (comic foil). Beginning with the sixth season, the star, Alan Alda, and the new Executive Producer, Burt Metcalfe, became the "voice" of M*A*S*H, and continued in those roles for the remaining five seasons. By the eighth season, the writing staff had been totally overhauled; and M*A*S*H displayed a different feel—consciously moving between comedy and drama, unlike the seamless integration of years gone by. At the same time, many episodes from the later era were praised for their experimentation with the half-hour sitcom format. Ultimately, M*A*S*H is based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, set during the Korean War. This was turned into a feature film, MASH, in 1970, which in turn was developed for television by Larry Gelbart. Although the Korean War lasted three years, the television series spanned 251 episodes and lasted eleven seasons. M*A*S*H's title sequence featured an instrumental version of the song "Suicide Is Painless", which also appears in the original film. ::Adapted from the Wikipedia article on M*A*S*H. Category: Crossover Fandoms